1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a key layout setting apparatus applied to data input equipment such as an electronic cash register (abbreviated as ECR hereinafter) or a POS (abbreviation of point-of-sales) terminal including a display screen covered with a touch panel displaying a plurality of touch keys to register an item corresponding to a touch key that is arbitrarily operated, a key layout setting method, a computer-readable recording medium in which a key layout setting program is recorded, and a program product for a key layout setting program. Particularly, the present invention relates to a key layout setting apparatus that allows the layout of a plurality of keys for data input on the display screen in a data input apparatus to be set as desired by the user, a key layout setting apparatus, a computer-readable recording medium in which a key layout setting program is recorded, and a program product for a key layout setting program.
2. Description of the Background Art
Various data input apparatuses have been proposed including a display screen covered with a touch panel displaying a plurality of touch keys to register an item corresponding to a touch key that is arbitrarily operated via the touch panel. For example, Japanese. Patent Laying-Open No. 5-73196 discloses a data input apparatus including a display unit integrated with a touch panel, an identification unit, and a control unit. When an input reception region corresponding to the display region of each key image displayed on the screen is designated by the user through the touch panel, the identification unit identifies the coordinate values of the designated input reception region and generates region modify data to enlarge the relevant input reception region. In response to the generated region modify data, the control unit provides control so that the relevant input reception region is enlarged. Accordingly, a subsequent input operation is facilitated when the same input reception region is designated to input data. An operation reduced in input error is allowed.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 5-197471 discloses an input designation apparatus including a keyboard formed of a screen covered with a touch panel, a determination unit, and a display region enlargement unit. An input designation region corresponding to respective keys of the keyboard is displayed. The determination unit determines the status of selection by the user (for example, the number of selections) via the touch panel with respect to each relevant input designation region. The display region enlargement unit provides the display of each input designation region increased in size according to the determined selection status. Accordingly, a subsequent input operation is facilitated when the same input designation region is designated to input data. An operation reduced in input error is allowed.
The above conventional art is directed to individually increase the input reception region or the input designation region on a region-by-region basis during the operation process according to the relevant status. The user could not change the size of the entire key layout arbitrarily independent of the operation status. Also, the user could not modify the display region of a certain key to a larger size. The operability was not satisfactory. For shops and stores that audit the sales using data input equipment such as an ECR or a POS terminal, characteristic product production and distinction over other stores and firms have become critical in accordance with the severe sales competition. It is indispensable to quickly respond to the change in the market and to the customer""s needs. In view of the foregoing, it is strongly desired that the data input apparatus used in sales management can quickly correspond as occasion may demand with respect to the data input capability.
An object of the present invention is to provide a key layout setting apparatus that can easily modify layout data determining the layout state of a plurality of keys on a display screen as desired, a key layout setting method, a computer-readable recording medium in which a key layout setting program is recorded, and a program product for a key layout setting program.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a key layout setting apparatus of the present invention is directed to set layout data to determine the layout of a plurality of keys on a display screen in a data input apparatus including the display screen provided with a touch panel to register an item corresponding to a relevant key by operating through the touch panel an arbitrary key out of a plurality of keys that are laid out and displayed on a display screen according to the layout data. The key layout setting apparatus includes a layout data setting unit to set the layout data. The layout data setting unit includes a key size select unit to select a desired key size from a plurality of key sizes. The layout data is set according to the desired key size selected by the key size select unit. Since the user can modify and set the layout data so that the plurality of keys are laid out and displayed at the desired key size, the data input apparatus such as an ECR can have the key layout set rapidly corresponding to the change in the market and the customer""s needs. Registration error in the registration operation can be reduced by virtue of improvement of the operability with respect to the registration operation of the ECR.
In the key layout setting apparatus, the display region of the display screen includes a key region to display a plurality of keys and a data region to display various data. The layout data setting unit includes a region size select unit to select a desired region size from a plurality of region sizes. The layout data is set so that the data region is laid out on the display screen according to the selected region size.
For example, when the region size is selected to reduce the data region, the key region of the display screen can be enlarged as desired to easily allow increase of the number of laid out keys.
In the above key layout setting apparatus, the layout data setting unit includes a first layout setting unit. The first layout setting unit sets the layout data according to a desired setting style selected from a plurality of predetermined setting styles when layout data is newly set.
Therefore, the user can set the layout data according to the desired setting style by just selecting the desired setting style in the setting process of the layout data. A key layout setting apparatus of high usability for the user can be provided.
The above key layout setting apparatus further includes a layout data storage unit to store one or more types of layout data set by the layout data set unit. The aforementioned plurality of setting styles include a modify style and a copy style. The first layout setting unit sets the desired layout data out of the plurality of types of layout data stored in the layout data storage unit as the new layout data when the copy style is selected. When the modify style is selected, the desired layout data out of the plurality of types of layout data stored in the layout data storage unit has a desired portion modified and then set as the new layout data.
Thus, when the copy style is selected, layout data that is already set is directly used as the new layout data. When the modify style is selected, the layout data already set has a desired portion modified and then used as the new layout data. Thus, the layout data as desired by the user can be set quickly in response to earlier selected setting style.
In the above key layout setting apparatus, the layout data includes for each of the plurality of keys key size data indicating the display size of a relevant key and an identify code to identify the item that is to be registered into the data input apparatus in response to a relevant key operation. The key layout setting apparatus further includes a key size modify unit. The key size modify unit modifies the key size of a predetermined key according to respective identify codes corresponding to the predetermined key and a key adjacent to the predetermined key or the set state of the identify code of the adjacent key when in the key size modify mode to modify the key size data.
Since the key size of a predetermined key on the display screen can be modified (enlarged/shrank), a key layout of high usability corresponding to the usage status of a predetermined key and an adjacent key can be set.
In the key layout setting apparatus, the key size modify unit includes a first key size modify unit. The first key size modify unit modifies the key size data of the predetermined key to include the key size data of the adjacent key when the identify code set corresponding to the identify key and the identify code set corresponding to the adjacent key are identical.
In the above key layout setting apparatus, the key size modify unit further includes a second key size modify unit. The second key size modify unit modifies the key size data of a predetermined key so as to include the key size data of the adjacent key when the identify code corresponding to the adjacent key is not yet set.
Since the key size of a predetermined key can be enlarged arbitrarily according to the identify code of an adjacent key and the setting state thereof through the first and second key size modify units, each key can be set to have an appropriate key size corresponding to the usage status.
The above key layout setting apparatus further includes a key label input unit to input a label identifying a relevant key displayed on the display screen. The label is displayed on the corresponding relevant key. When the number of characters of the label of a predetermined key input through the key label input unit exceeds a predetermined number of characters, the key size modify unit executes the second key size modify unit for the predetermined key.
Since modification to increase the size of the key with a label can be effected, a label as desired by the user can easily be displayed corresponding to a predetermined key to facilitate the key operation.
When the key size of the predetermined key is not increased to the size that allows the display of the number of characters indicated by the label input through the key label input unit as a result of execution of the second key size modify unit in the key layout setting apparatus, notification is made that the label size is erroneous.
Since the user is notified that the size (number of characters) of the label input through the key label input unit corresponding to a predetermined key is too large to be displayed corresponding to the predetermined key, the user can be quickly modify the label to an appropriate number of characters through the key label input unit.
The key layout setting apparatus further includes an output unit to read out and provide each layout data from the layout data storage unit. By providing the layout data via the output unit, information to audit the layout data corresponding to each key in the data input apparatus can be obtained.
A key layout setting method is directed to set layout data to determine the layout of a plurality of keys on a display screen in a data input apparatus including a display screen provided with a touch panel to register an item corresponding to a key in response to operation of an arbitrary key out of a plurality of keys laid out and displayed on the display screen according to the layout data. The key layout setting method includes a layout data setting step to set layout data. The layout data setting step includes a key size select step to select a desired key size from a plurality of key sizes. The layout data is set corresponding to the desired key size selected by the key size select step. Since the user can modify and set the layout data so as to display the plurality of keys at the desired key size, the key layout can be promptly set in the data input apparatus such as an ECR corresponding to the change in the market and customer needs. Also, registration error can be reduced in the registration operation by virtue of improvement in the operability with respect to the registration operation of the ECR and the like.
A computer-readable recording medium in which a key layout setting program is recorded is characterized as set forth in the following. A key layout setting method according to the key layout setting program is directed to set layout data to determine the layout of a plurality of keys on a display screen in a data input apparatus including a display screen provided with a touch panel to register an item corresponding to a relevant key by the operation of an arbitrary key out of a plurality of keys laid out and displayed on a display screen according to the layout data via the touch panel. The key layout setting method includes a layout data setting step to set layout data. The layout data setting step includes a key size select step to select a desired key size from a plurality of key sizes. The layout data is set corresponding to the desired key size selected by the key size select step. Since the user can modify and set the layout data so as to display the plurality of keys at the desired key size, the key layout can be promptly set in the data input apparatus such as an ECR corresponding to the change in the market and customer needs. Also, registration error can be reduced in the registration operation by virtue of improvement in the operability with respect to the registration operation of the ECR and the like.
A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system to solve the above object of the present invention is characterized as set forth in the following. The computer program product is directed to set layout data to determine layout of a plurality of keys on a display screen in a data input apparatus including the display screen provided with a touch panel to register an item corresponding to a key by operation through the touch panel of an arbitrary key out of the plurality of keys laid out and displayed on the display screen according to the layout data. The computer program product includes a layout data setting program to set the layout data. The layout data setting program includes a key size select program to select a desired key size from a plurality of key sizes. The layout data is set corresponding to the desired key size selected by the key size select program.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.